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ORLANDO, Fla. - For the first time, a miniature heart pump shows the potential to become a widely used, permanent treatment for many older people with severe heart failure. But can we afford it?

In a study of 200 patients, the new device increased by four times the number who survived at least two years compared with an older pump that had drawbacks limiting its use, doctors reported Tuesday...

The original article can be found at: http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20091118/pump_091118/20091118?hub=Health&s_name=

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what we said (Hover the mouse cursor over underlined words for more info)

Severe heart failure has a very high mortality rate and anything that can be done to extend people's lifespans should be considered. However, as this story points out, we need determine how much are we willing to pay in order to extend life for these patients. Information surrounding the availability of this device in Canada was missing from the report and would have been useful for all the Canadian readers. In addition, the story did mention that many of the people involved with the study were consultants for device-making companies, however, we don't know if these consultants were the same individuals quoted in the article. That being said, the fact that the article even mentions potential conflicts of interest is a positive thing and thus this report received a 'satisfactory' rating for this criterion. Overall, this story did a good job at looking at the pros and cons of this type of procedure.

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